This past week provided an interesting irony in my life.
On the One Hand
I finished the second draft of my book – One Shade Greener at Home. The intent of the book is to be a “personal assistant” providing ideas and inspiration for those who are striving to lessen their environmental impact.
You might wonder why this is important to me and while there are many reasons, one of the most personal is my connection to climate change. Five years ago, our cottage in Florida was completely flooded, our carport pulled off, and our roof was damaged by Hurricane Irma. I’ve been going to the same part of Florida since I was very young (almost 50 years) and this was the first hurricane that I can remember causing significant damage to this area. I continue to watch the weather swings become more and more severe and this Hurricane Irma made them personal. It also reinforced my desire to do something to make a difference.
On the Other Hand
This creates the irony. As I spent the week completing the draft of the book, I have eyes and ears on the news watching the the approach, the impact, and the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. Our little island has been hit again – less wind and more water is what the reports say. We didn’t get hit as hard as areas like Sanibel Island, but water damage has happened again just five years later!
At this point, we have no idea the state of our little cottage that FINALLY as of last spring had all the finishing touches to be back to normal (minus a carport we chose not to replace). We’ve seen a couple exterior photos that look good, but don’t know the water challenges that might be lingering inside.
My most significant source of hope that our place is not water damaged is a pot. Yes, a pot. In this photo of the front porch, the red pot is still in front of the house – right where it was the last time we visited. I think if the water reached a significant level or force it would have moved the pot to a totally new location – while this is a positive sign, we wait to know for sure.
Now What?
This pairing of events has me thinking deeply and personally about the cycle we are in – we affect the planet, the planet is reacting, and that affects us. I even created a diagram of what was on my mind.
While I sit in the middle of my personal irony from this last week, I’m proud that I’ve taken the step to get the book in the world to make a dent in the education needed to move toward change. I would like to think that if we all start to make small changes and take what we are learning into our jobs we can start to end the cycle. In my perfect world, people wouldn’t have to go through these natural disasters more frequently.
A report titled “Climate Change in the American Mind” that was published in April 2022 indicated that 4 in 10 Americans (43%) have personally experienced the effects of global warming. I know I’m one of them. Are you? If not, do you know someone in your circle of family and friends who have been impacted?